San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-01-15

/ wards. when she returned TO the draw
ing room and saw her guest engrossed
/ i'll the novel.
| VERY much he answered, turning
( to her with quiet smile. The strang-
/ est thing is that fancy have read IL
! before. some of the thoughts and words
| are SO familiar To me. | am certain |
I have heard some one talk just as this
| book is written
Then, if YOU are contented. / will
leave you again." said Mrs. Archer;
''for have many things that require
| attention"
When she returned. ~ : s. than an
! hour, some stTang ns' rad come
over the invalid: list VS. flushed,
his eyes shone brightly. =, Tto,a frame
| trembled with eXc.tgIa M. y 20 could
not help fancying thai Sc S,W traces
of tears upon his check :,
Mrs. Archer" lac erred, when she
entered the room, when do you think
| shall be able to return 10 London? l
must go tomorrow. or the day after"
what has come over yor?" she ask
ed, laughing at his impatience.
Il must go" he said; lit is life OF
death to me-
IF you are very careful" replied his
kind hostess, Il think you will be fit
to travel in a day or two. But what
| is it?"
Nothing" he said; but she could see
that he was greatly agitated.
What was the canse of itp Some
thing very simple. He had grown much
interested in the story he was reading.
1t was a well-told. powerfully-writtcn
tale-the history of "a life's mistake"
The heroine-a beautiful, faulty. i'm
perious, wilful, lOvable girl-married in
moment Of pique the man she did not
love, in order to be revenged upon the
man she did love. Then came sorrow,
remorSe, and misery. She met him
again and then came temptation.
Ones heart almost stood still with sur
prise as the story went on; but what had
struck Captain Ruthven almost dumb
were these few lines in the middle of
one of the pages. The heroine had seen
her lover again; he had spoken, and she
had listened; then she repented, and
wrote to him, telling him not to see or
speak to her again. In the midst of the
letter were these words
Il know / am wrong in waiting; one
mistake does not excuse another. Mine
has been the mistake Of lifetime.
married without love, and must en-
dure the consequences Of my own act
| can live without love; but l can
not and will not do wrong. Wrong it
would be to see you and listen to you
again"
Those were the few words that caused
Captain Ruthven to drop his book and
wonder for moment whether he was
mad or dreaming. Then he read them
again. Word for word. it was the letter
for writing which he had almost cursed
his wife.
Like lightning flash, ii struck him
that she had written the book, and that
the sheet of paper he had believed to
be part of letter written to another
man was merely page of the manu-
script. He saw it all now. May had
deceived him. as she frankly owned;
but, oh, how small was the fault COM
pared To the one OF which he suspected
her. She had written the book, and
meant To tell him some time. Now he
understood the few words that had puz-
Zled him so. She would never do it
again-dear little innocent May! He
hated himself for his blind fury, his
mad rage, his senseless Jealousy.
Il might have known he said to
himself hundred times. that she
never could and never would really de-
ceive me!'
She had written and. moreover, had
published book; but what he would
once have resented as a crime now SEEM
ed blameleSs. She had done that, al
though she had heard him say that he
did not like women-writerS, and would
never marry one; but she had not done
worse. She was his love. his wife, and
she had been true to him.
How small and mean and cOntempti-
BILE he felt as he thought of it ALL Some
men would have been proud of wife
who could write as she did. Her fame
was spread all over England. People
said that she was genius-that she
had written words that moved all hui
man hearts alike; and he, in his narrow
jealousy, would have kept her all to
himself, would have clipped the wings
of her intellect, and forbade it to soar
aloft.
His prejudice against lady-writers had
been both sincere and strong; but,
when he began to reflect upon it, it
seemed absurd. His wife had never
neglected duty, his house and himself
were both equally well cared for. He
never remembered to have seen her I'M
tidy or with ink-stained fingers; and, if
this gift had been given to her, why
should she not Use it?
His repentance and remorSe were as
great as his sorrow had been. He could
hardly endure the two days delay which
his doctor declared to be necessary be-
fore he started for London. He thakn-
ed his kind hospitable friends for their
care of him, and with an agitated heart
started for the metropolis.
1t was not he who had to forgive. He
was the criminal; it was he who had sim
ned against the loving gentle girl whom
he had made his wife.
In all his after-life Charles Ruthven
never forgot that jOurney-itS fears, its
hopes, and its suspense. He did not
even know whether he should find his
wife at home; it was two months since
he had left her.
He walked up to the house and rang
the bell. A strange face looked into his
as the door opened, and he had hardly
strength or courage to ask if Mrs. Ruth
ven were at home.
"She is" said the girl; but she is
busy packing up. What name shall l
sayf"
IAN right" said the Captain. What
room is she in? will go to her."
''She is packing up books in the draw
ing-room," answered the girl, whose
eyes were full Of wonder.
In two more minutes he stood in the
presence of his wife. He opened the
door quietly, and he had time to note
how pale and thin the sweet face had
grown. Then she looked up and saw
him. Anger and pride were forgotten.
She ran to him with a low cry, and he
folded her to his breast.
" IN